Teratomorphogenic Effects on the Brain Produced by Neonatal Maternal Deprivation Can Be Partly Prevented by Pyridostigmine Administration

Abstract

Maternal deprivation from the 3rd to 14th day of life, i.e., separation of the pups from their mother animals for 16 hours each day, gave rise to persistent significant changes of microstructures in the hippocampal stratum radiatum of the CA1-region, which were associated with significantly decreased emotionality, learning capability and memory capacity in adulthood. Such teratomorphogenic effects on the brain produced by psychosocial and/or nutritional deprivation during brain development could be partly prevented--as well as the teratophysiogenic and teratopsychogenic effects--by simultaneous administration of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor pyridostigmine.

Behavioural Changes in Adult Rats Produced by Early Postnatal Maternal Deprivation and Treatment with Choline Chloride

“…In our neonatally deprived rats we observed lasting effects on behaviour as also reported by other authors (Denenberg, 1964;Levitzky and Barnes, 1972;Levine and Wiener, 1976). Such teratopsychogenic effects produced by early postnatal deprivation could be partly prevented by simultaneous administration of an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (Tönjes et al, 1982;Dörner et al, 1984), thereby correcting an acetyicholine deficiency during brain differentiation (Dörner et al, 1982).…”

“…A decrease of the acetylcholine concentration in discrete brain regions induced by maternal deprivation in neonatal life, which was associated with emotional and mental ill-effects in later life, could be prevented by neonatal administration of the acetyicholinesterase inhibitor pyridostigmine (Dörner et al, 1982). Maternal deprivation of newborn rats gave also rise to teratomorphogenic long-term effects of microstructures in the hippocampal stratum radiatum of the CA 1-region which could be prevented, at least in part, by simultaneous administration of pyridostigmine in neonatal life (Dörner et al, 1984).…”